Leather and method of treating same



Patented Dec. 31, 1935 UNITED STATES LEATHER AND METHOD OF TREATING'SAME Arthur J. Beford, Littlestown, Pa.

I No Drawing. Application January 11, 1935,

Serial No. 1,370

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a treated leather and a method of treating the same.

An object of the invention is the provision of a leather which has been treated in a particular 5 manner so that it will have a certain degree of stiffness and rigidity while having a certain degree of flexibility, whereby cheaper leathers which are incapable of use in the manufacture of the uppers of shoes may be so treated and 10 thus employed.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a process for treating leather in which parafline wax, rosin, Burgundy pitch and neats foot oil are employed for converting cheaper and 5 relatively soft leathers into a relative stiff but flexible leather for use in the manufacture of uppers, the treatment also providing for the waterproofing and improved wearing qualities of the leather.

20 Another object of the invention is the provision of a leather and a. method of treating the same in which certain resins are mixed in combination with parafiine and an oil for causing soft and cheaper grades of leather to become 25 relatively rigid while having flexibility, the treatment also increasing the wearing properties of the leather.

This invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed descrip- 30 tion; nevertheless, it is to be understood that the invention is not confined to the disclosure, being susceptible of such changes and modifications as define no material departure from the salient W features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In carrying out my invention the following ingredients are employed and in the proportions indicated:

'A 16 oz. parafline wax,

B 2 oz. rosin,

C 1 oz. Burgundy pitch,

D 1 oz. neats foot oil,

E 1 oz. alcohol (wood),

F 1 oz. cod oil,

G 5 drops Wintergreen.

The parafline wax employed is of the ordina y type obtained commercially and which must be heated to bring it to a liquid state.

50 The rosin employed is the form technically known as colophony and is a residue which remains after the volatile oil has been removed by distillation for the oleo resins, the crude turpentines which exude from the various species of 55 coniferae and is of the American origin from the Pinus Palustris. This rosin is a brittle solid and melts variously from 100 to 135 C.

The Burgundy pitch is a resin of Picea Excelsa and is very soluble in ethyl alcohol and other compounds.

Neats foot oil is obtained from the feet of cattle by boiling with water and is a pale yellow liquid and when properly prepared contains a small amount of free fatty acid. 7

The codoil or brown cod oil is made from 10 unsound cod livers and those which have been exposed for some time to the atmosphere. This oil, however, is unfit for human consumption.

The alcohol employed is the type known as methyl or wood alcohol although ethyl alcohol may be used but the methyl is preferable because of its cheapness.

The Wintergreen is employed in small quantities only but the quantity used will be such that it will not afiect the composition since it is employed to ameliorate the odor.

The alcohol may not always be required particularly in summer time andthe purpose of the alcohol is to provide an aid for the penetration of the liquid into the leather. The cod oil may likewise be dispensed with along with the alcohol. The essential ingredients in order to obtain the practical results consist of parafiine wax, rosin, Burgundy pitch and neats foot oil.

The rosin and Burgundy pitch may be ground to a fine powder and to this is applied the parafline wax, the neats foot oil and when desired the alcohol, cod oil and the Wintergreen. The mixture is then heated while being thoroughly stirred at a temperature between 220 to 240 Fr. The rosin, Burgundy pitch and wax become melted at this temperature and the ingredients go into the solution. The liquid is then allowed to cool to a temperature approximating 180 to 200 Fr.

The leather then to be treated is either dipped into the liquid or the liquid is brushed thoroughly onto the leather and either a heated iron is passed over the leather or the leather is placed in a power press having a heating unit which will have a temperature between 200 and 240 Fr.

It is only necessary to heat the ingredients a sufiicient length of time in order to create a liquid of the ingredients.

The leather thus treated is used for the uppers of shoes and will include elk, retan leathers, split and side leathers. Leathers thus treated have sufficient rigidity so that they may be pressed to form the toes of the uppers and these toes thus formed will have sufficient rigidity so that it will not be necessary to employ additional leather for stiffening purposes as is usual.

The treatment also has the tendency to cause the leather to plump or to slightly swell while on the other hand the leather is thus made waterproof with improved wearing qualities. Not only may the leathers which are used for the uppers of shoes be thus treated, but sole leather may also be treated and in this case it is preferable to use only the paraffine wax, rosin, Burgundy pitch and neats foot oil.

While it is true that certain of these ingredients have been used in the leather industry for certain purposes, the combination of the ingredients em-'- ployed in the present case co-operate in a unitary manner to convert a soft flexible leather into a relatively rigid flexible leather with improved wearing qualities. Certain of the ingredients such as the resins and neats foot oil enter into a chemical combination although the product is unknown.

I claim:

1. A method of converting a soft leather into a relatively rigid leather which comprises impregnating the leather with a hot solution of parafiine, colophony, Burgundy pitch and neats foot oil and compressing the leather thus treated while heating the same.

2. A method of converting a soft leather into a relatively rigid leather which comprises impregnating the leather with a hot solution of parafiine, colophony, Burgundy pitch and neats foot oil and compressing the leather thus treated while maintaining a temperature of approximately 200 to 240 Fr.

3. A method of treating soft leather which comprises impregnating the leather with a solution 5 of parafiine, rosin, Burgundy pitch, neats foot oil, alcohol and cod oil, then maintaining the impregnated leather at a predetermined temperature and pressure.

4. A method of treating leather which comprises impregnating the leather with a solution of paraffine, rosin, Burgundy pitch, neats foot oil, alcohol, and cod oil which solution is at a temperature approximately between 180 to 200 Fr., then placing the thus impregnated leather under pressure and at a higher temperature.

5. A method of treating leather which comprises impregnating the leather with a solution of paraifine, rosin, Burgundy pitch, neats foot oil and cod oil, then applying pressure to the impregnated leather.

6. A method of treating leather which comprises impregnating the leather with a heated solution of the following ingredients and in approximately the proportion designated: 16 oz. paraffine, 2 oz. rosin, 1 oz. Burgundy pitch, 1 /2 oz. neats foot oil, 1 oz. alcohol and 1 oz. cod oil, then applying pressure to the impregnated leather while raising the temperature of the leather.

ARTHUR J. BEFORD. 

